Tigers Downed in Season Opener

The Tiger softball team got the season off to a quick start, however by the end of their doubleheader they had dropped a pair of games to Kansas Wesleyan.

Game One (L 12-2)Doane opened the game with two runs in the top of the first inning but were held in check the rest of the way, falling to KWU, 12-2 in six innings.

In the first inning, Brooke Sampson hit a two-run homer to give the Tigers an early 2-0 lead. Andrea Gonzales led off the game with a walk and stole second base.

Kansas Wesleyan countered with a run in the bottom of the first and two in the bottom of the second to take the lead off of starter, Jenna Alswager. The Coyotes scored at least one run in each inning as the closed the game in the sixth, enforcing the eight-run rule with a three-run home run from Sara Weber. Weber had a career-day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three runs and seven RBIs while smacking three home runs.

In the game, Sampson collected two of the Tigers' three hits. She went 2-for-2 with two RBIs. Amber Stater had the other hit for the Tigers, going 1-for-1 with a walk. Alswager took the loss, allowing six runs, three earned, in 3.1 innings. Katie Mosley and Jennifer Liddell allowed three runs apiece as well in 1.2 innings.

Game Two (L 7-3)In the second game of the doubleheader, Doane once again jumped out front. The Tigers plated two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth before KWU scored seven runs in their last two innings at the plate to win 7-3.

Following a one-out walk by Sampson in the fourth, Shelby Mendlik delivered a two-run home run for the Tigers. In the fifth, Amber Stater led off with a double and was run for by Kara Riesen. Riesen came around to score on a double by Alyssa Maraia to give Doane a 3-0 lead.

Kansas Wesleyan countered with four runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead. The big hit came from Weber as she connected for a three-run homer to give the Coyotes the lead. The Coyotes added three runs in the sixth to pull away.

Mendlik went 2-for-3 for the Tigers with two RBIs. Stater went 2-for-3 as well. Gonzales and Maraia were joined by Christy Kobza, Kylie Garrett and Gina Falciani with single hits as Doane posted nine in the game.

Garrett took the loss, allowing seven earned runs on 13 hits in 5.2 innings. Jennifer Liddell induced a groundout by Weber as the only batter she faced.